Creating Hope from Heartache

Barbara Marx Hubbard says that “Crisis is an evolutionary driver.” Our world is certainly in crisis. I passionately believe the ultimate way to take part in the evolution of humankind is to wholeheartedly embrace our unique individual gifts and ferociously share them with others. The God within is calling out to all of us to contribute to each other in unconventional and profound ways.

Rather than search for love, be love. Rather than wish the world would change, be the change. Honor your divinity within. Embody kindness, and let your generous spirit guide you. Cherish all your relationships, especially those that challenge you. Notice the goodness in others, and acknowledge them for who they are at their best. Lovingly encourage and challenge others to allow the yearnings in their heart to guide them. Surround yourself with people who unconditionally support you, and help others to do the same.

If an illogical idea or a yearning continues to tug on you, pay attention to this transformational impulse and let it compel you to take action. Courageously answer the call … it is God on the other end.

When you are struggling to identify your magnificent way to contribute to our world, look to your deepest source of heartache. What is the void that tugs on you? My biggest void is that I am nobody’s mother. A biological and spiritual craving was never filled. I made up for this void by mothering everything and everyone, including rescuing a pack of dogs and a cat. Who was rescuing whom?

Transformation occurs when you listen to the voice that calls out from your soul. But it can be wrenching work. In some situations, this form of soul-searching is best undertaken with professional support – for example, a therapist or a life coach, depending on the nature and depth of your struggle. If the adversity you face is less profound, friends and family may be your greatest source of support.

Either way, this exploration and self-transformation need not be a miserable process. It can be affirmative, fun, joyful, even outrageous. Does the sadness vanish completely? No. However, this process can put our longings in perspective while continuing to fuel the divine impulses of our soul.

It was this very impulse to partner my greatest gifts with my bleakest heartache that inspired me to lead a bold movement of hope. I bless my heartache for giving me the insight to team it up with my gifts. This unorthodox partnership continues to fuel my desire and commitment to contribute to the evolution of humankind in my own very personal and humble way.

When we all confront our greatest heartache and marry it to our greatest gifts, collectively we will transform our world.

Chrissy Carew is a Hall-of-Fame Master Certified and Board Certified personal and business coach, mentor and trainer as well as the author of Insightful Player:Football Pros Lead a Bold Movement of Hope, published by Morgan James Publishing. She is also the founder of Insightful Player, LLC. Insightful Player is a platform that features high-integrity people such as current and former NFL players, who are passionate about inspiring their fans, particularly kids.

She coaches high integrity professional football players to maximize performance on and off the field. She also works with trailblazers who have an indomitable will and are relentless in their pursuit of elevating the world to awe-inspiring heights. She inspires her clients to reach for the ultimate state of human fulfillment by wholeheartedly embracing their gifts and ferociously sharing them with others.

Carew is on a mission to make this world a better place with the Insightful Player® initiative. The Insightful Player® initiative is a bold movement of hope that is fusing together the heart and soul of the players with their fans to become one. Insightful Player, is an approved partner of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

Carew is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Master Certified Coach (MCC). This prestigious credential puts her in the top one percent of coaches worldwide. She is a Coach U Professional Mentor Coach and veteran Trainer.

In June of 2011, Carew received the highest honor from her peers when she was inducted into the International Coaching Federation (ICF) New England Chapter’s inaugural Hall of Fame, established to honor the personal and business coaches who have demonstrated their exemplary coaching skills as well as served as an ambassador to the coaching community, industry and world. These select few serve as models for ICF-NE membership and the international coaching community.

Carew is the past Vice President of the International Coach Federation (ICF), served three terms on the Board of Directors and six terms as the Public Relations and Marketing Chair. She is a coaching pioneer who spearheaded high-impact public relations campaigns that resulted in the gargantuan growth of the coaching industry.

She created, produced and hosted a coaching radio show and was featured in a weekly coaching segment on ABC’s WMUR TV News. Carew owned a public relations and event planning company for 10 years. The Boston media identified her as a top event specialist and reported that her events were nothing short of a Broadway production. Her largest event was the First Bank Owned Real Estate Show that was attended by 33 thousand people and resulted in $55 million in traceable sales. Carew managed the event including the publicity campaign that won a Bell Ringer award.

It is not always an easy task to look within and find the good in difficult and challenging situations but if you can change your perspective, it can open your heart and mind to something even more fulfilling. Allowing God into my life has helped me to never feel alone and to see good in even the darkest of times.

When faced with heartache we wonder why. Those moments when tears roll down our cheeks, are also moments when we take the time to address the future. What can I do? How can I do it? Will others understand me? When I lost my mother (who was also a true friend of mine) two years ago to cancer, it felt like I would never get back on my feet. I was afraid to turn to others for help. Friends and family came to me. Help does not need to have $$$$ attached to it Listen to those who need someone to listen to them. Offer assistance in whatever way you can, and like my mother and I did, we listened to one another, offered ways to help each other, and wiped each others tears.

This is so authentic and really is a wonderful way to reframe our heartache to joy. Chrissy is one of the great teaches and Coaches we are lucky to learn from and she brings her joy, compassion and wisdom as a gift of her beautiful life journey .

This is a very positive and inspirational message. My favorite line is “Transformation occurs when you listen to the voice that calls out from your soul.” Just imagine the impact it would have if everyone dug deep to find their calling.

Chrissy, This is a superb and important message, written with your exception sensitivity and communication ability. The branch of psychology called Psychosynthesis says our soul wound is our soul gift, and you are a living demonstration of that. Thanks for sharing your story and inspiration.

“If an illogical idea or a yearning continues to tug on you, … Courageously answer the call … it is God on the other end.” That is a spectacular expression of the connection between individual gifts and talents and the divine source of our individuality. You don’t find out who you really are by following the herd. You have to find the courage to seek your own path – becoming a Trailblazer! Blessings from one Trailblazer to another.

Wow,that gave me a different perspective on what i thought I was doing about how I was helping humanity. I have been doing my part in my community.I find that helping some one else,get me,out of me,So,thank you Crissy,for opening my eyes.

simply beautiful……when you open up the eyes and ears to your heart, not only do you look at others differently, but you look at yourself differently; and before you know it those stone walls of your “castle” begin to crumble and your true light can shine. By letting go and trusting in God you have found the key to the chains that bind you.

All too often, we tend to discount the power of words. Chrissy, you show that words do indeed have the power to transform. I was especially struck by the idea of identifying our greatest heartache and marrying that to our greatest gift(s). Beautifully expressed…..thank you!

Thanks, Chrissy, for encouraging us to believe that we can recover from life’s misfortunes or our own shortcomings, and that by finding unexercised talents within and perfecting them we can put misfortunes and shortcomings behind us to lead better lives.

Fortunately, our world is sprinkled with voices who speak from a place of love and respect when at times it can often be hard to hear the god-voice within ourselves. Chrissy is such a voice. Lucky are those who hear her.

Thank you for your inspiration Chrissy. Although I know you’re right and it normally is my way of living too, the last couple of months a tsunami of grief has hit me, and sometimes has thrown my off my feet. And although I know that God’s there to help, I also know that he needs the hands of people to do his work, and those hands refused to do it and that has left me with a lot of pain. I just didn’t understand why someone can choose to ignore his calling. Reading your article helped me reconnect with another part of me. I realized that although things turn out differently then they were supposed to, and that really hurts on a personal level, perhaps I can transform it into something else that I can bring into the world. Apart from what I already came to do, I might bring something extra. Something positive that I can’t describe yet, since the process of transforming just began reading your words. Thank you.

Annemiek. I really admire your courage and inner strength. I hope you can surround yourself with people who unconditional support and love you. Your words are very inspiring to me and they touch me deeply. My intuition is asking me to remind you to believe. Sending you love and prayer. With tremendous respect, Chrissy Carew